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Pumping in the middle of the night.

I've posted before on this but some things have changed since I last asked about pumping in the middle of the night.

My baby girl is almost 5 months old. I (almost) exclusively breastfeed. I work so I can't nurse during the day, but anytime I am off of work, I nurse every time.

She eats at 5:30isham(BF), 9am(BF or bottle of breastmilk), 12:45pm(BF or bottle of breastmilk), 4:30pm(BF), and 7:45pm(BF then a small bottle with cereal). Also, I set my alarm and wake up every morning at 1am to pump, just to get some extra milk and to not be so engorged by the time she eats at 5:30. When they are so full at that time, she used to spit up a LOT so I started pumping at 1. It helped our stash SO much and still helps me keep up with what she eats while I am at work. She has 2- 6 oz bottles while I am gone.

Since I've been back at work I pump at 9am(when she should be eating) and then again at 12 (as close to her eating time as I can get it) and then I BF her when I get home at 4:30. During my 2 pumping sessions at work I normally get 6 oz combined between the 2 times and that only makes up for one of the bottles that she gets. So this is where the 1am pump comes in handy. I normally get 6 or 7 oz when I pump at 1am so that makes up for the other 6 oz bottle.

I know I am VERY lucky to not have to wake up multiple times a night to nurse or for whatever reason, but 5 months of broken up sleep (when it doesn't "have" to be) is starting to wear on me. I don't exactly even know what I am asking-- encouragement, tips on how to stop the 1am pump but still keep up with the milk that we use, different feeding amounts, something...I just don't know.

Re: Pumping in the middle of the night.

We're doing the bottle at night for a few reasons. First we were giving her a bottle at night and then when we switched back to nursing she was still hungry after nursing. She would cry and cry when she was done. Also, our ped said to start giving her cereal once a day so we do it at night. We tried just the cereal by itself but she wasn't ready and kept pushing it out of her mouth so we added it to breastmilk.

We were on a shorter schedule (3 hours apart) but the older she got the less she ate each time. When we switched to this schedule she eats great. And she's a big girl so we are definitely not starving her. She is always growing and gaining weight.

Re: Pumping in the middle of the night.

Is it possible for you to add another pump session at work? Or while you are driving to/from work? My DS takes 3 bottles at daycare, and I always pump 4 times at work (and sometimes 5) to make enough for those bottles.

Re: Pumping in the middle of the night.

6 oz is a lot at one bottle session. I would recommend smaller bottles and hopefully that will help you out. Also, could you move up your pumping session to 10:30pm and then sleep till morning. It will take you a couple of days for your body to adjust your supply so you don't wake up engorged but you can still get your extra milk without interrupting your sleep.

~DD born 6/7/11
Successfully and while at work for 1 year. Now we are still till who knows...

Re: Pumping in the middle of the night.

Unfortunately I can't pump again at work. I am a teacher and I already pump during my planning period and also during my lunch break. Those are my only 2 breaks. I tried for a little while pumping again before I leave for work but it's just not an option anymore.

Should she be eating 6 oz at each bottle? What if we started giving cereal in the morning bottle and then less at the next? Or is there another way we should do this? Our ped said start with cereal once and then go to 2 times a day.

Re: Pumping in the middle of the night.

I didn't think that you were starving her. I just wondered why you stretched her schedule out so far. It is really not safe to put cereal in bottles. When babies push the food out of their mouths, it's because they aren't ready for solids. http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/so...lids-when.html

A little more about feeding baby cereal from a bottle...

Doctors and other experts recommend that you never give baby cereal in a bottle unless recommended by baby's doctor for a specific medical condition. Here are some of their reasons:

It is a choking hazard.
The cereal takes away from the amount of milk in the bottle (adds carbohydrates and dilutes the nutrient density), and baby may not get adequate milk volume for proper growth and development.
Baby is being given a higher concentration of calories without being able to regulate her own intake. This can lead to weight problems in the future.

How much milk do you need for your bottles each day? Can you add another session at work so you don't have to get up at night? Alternatively, what if you nursed her at 1 am and put less in the bottles during the day?

Re: Pumping in the middle of the night.

I agree with the PP, feed more often! My son at 5 months was eating probably twice as often as your daughter is! I also pumped on the way to and from school in the car (with a hands free bra), plus twice at school, plus once at around 10pm before I went to bed, for a total of 5 times per day. Is there any way for you to add more pumping in when you are away?

Also, I would maybe try to spread her bottles out when you are away from her, and put less in them. I used to send four 3.25oz bottles with my son to day care, and usually at that age he ate them all, but sometimes we had one left over which helped with stash. This might help take the pressure off. If you are worried about getting full at night keep pumping at 1am, but if you cut that out your supply will change in response within about a week and you might start pumping more at the 10 pm time slot.

The cereal at night is most likely not necessary.

ETA: I wrote this before I saw all the replies, really try to pump in the car on the way to work it will be so helpful! Its really not hard, get a simple wishes hands free bra, put that on before you leave the house, place the horns and hook the pump up in the car before you drive, then just turn it on. You can use one hand to do massage. I use a nursing cover for privacy. Also, I don't respond that well to my pump, so when I finish pumping I spend about 5 minutes doing manual expression and can usually get another ounce each time!

Re: Pumping in the middle of the night.

My daughter takes 3.5 oz at each bottle session and that holds her over for 3 hours. If we increased it, she was still hungry at 3 hours, but if we decreased it, she would only make it 2-2.5 hours. That is how we ended up with 3.5 oz. Try backing off on the amount a little bit every day and make sure you are using a slow flow nipple.

~DD born 6/7/11
Successfully and while at work for 1 year. Now we are still till who knows...